Yank Rachell and his mandolin playing style moved every musician lucky enough to hear him perform in the early sixties. When he died in April 1997, he left behind a stack of unanswered requests to tour Europe and to play blues festivals in the United States. In Blues Mandolin Man: The Life and Music of Yank Rachell, Richard Congress delivers the first biography of a family man whose playing inspired and energized the likes of David Honeyboy Edwards, Sleepy John Estes, and Henry Townsend. No other biography discusses the mandolin's influence and role in the blues. Guitar great Ry Cooder said, "Yank's style fascinated me because it had a lot of power and it's very raw-and what a great thing to do, just attack this little instrument like that." Charlie Musselwhite, the noted harp player, worked with Rachell and club hopped in Chicago with the elder bluesman. "He just had a great spirit about him," Musselwhite said of Rachell's playing and singing, "really just shouting it out. If the world was made up of people like Yank Rachell it would be a wonderful place to live." Blues Mandolin Man chronicles the life, times, and music of a man who was born into a family of sharecroppers in 1910 in rural western Tennessee. An active musician for 75 years, Rachell mastered several musical instruments and first recorded for Victor in Memphis in 1929. Through the blues, Rachell's world expanded to include Chicago, New York, recording studios and, after the sixties, radio, TV, and national and European tours. Yank's recollections reveal new information about personalities and events that will delight blues history buffs. Rich appendixes detail Yank's mandolin and guitar style and his place in the blues tradition. For this book Richard Congress, who reissued two of Rachell's old LPs in CD format, worked closely with him to record memories spanning decades of blues playing. Congress tells a compelling and engaging story about a colorful and thoughtful character who as a child picked cotton and plowed a field behind a mule, who grew to manhood coping with the southern Jim Crow system, and who participated in the creation and perpetuation of the blues.

The first biography of a blues maker who kept "country blues" and jug-band style alive

Take your blues mandolin playing to the next level with the Mandolin Blues Book. A collection of 101 blues riffs and solos ideal for all mandolinists looking to get a good grasp of jamming the blues. The book covers all the essential tools needed to play blues mandolin. Start by learning the 40 stylistic riffs and 25 one and two bar blues riffs in multiple keys, then move on to the longer 12 bar blues rhythm riffs and extended solos. Most of the longer rhythm riffs and solos follow the standard 12 bar blues form, so they are readily applicable to the many mandolin playing styles, including country, rock, jazz, and bluegrass, to name a few. To further deepen your mandolin skills, study the major, minor and blues scales and arpeggios as well as the library of mandolin chords and blues chord progressions in all 12 keys. No book covers everything, but with some practice, you will be ready to take your mandolin, jam the blues with confidence, and show off your new skills. Audio and Video online: https://brentrobitaille.com/product/mandolin-blues-book/

This book and accompanying audio are an essential compilation of songs, solos, and techniques that every mandolin player should know. The book is aimed at beginning and intermediate mandolinists, and contains 40 mandolin solos of all- time favorite Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Gospel songs. The written music includes melodies, tablature, chords, and all the solos can be heard at both slow and regular speeds on the accompanying audio. Included are easy open string solos, closed position moveable and transposable solos, solos with tremolo, doublestops, bluesy solos, crosspicking solos, and backup mandolin parts. This book has everything you need to play great solos in jam sessions and performances! Includes access to online audio

Learn how fretting and picking can entertain friends! The mandolin is making a big comeback among music enthusiasts. A longtime staple of bluegrass, folk, jazz, and country music, this fast-pickin' favorite featured heavily in traditional music from around the world is now seeing a resurgence in global pop. In Mandolin For Dummies, accomplished composer, performer, and mandolin guru Don Julin breaks down the history and fundamentals of this versatile instrument, showing how you too can fret, pick, and strum with the best in the business. Packed with photos and diagrams to help you perfect your hand positioning, you'll make your way through a plethora of mandolin-friendly musical styles and learn how to take good care of your instrument—paying it back for all the pleasure it brings to you and your friends. Buy the right mandolin for you Pick up key musical styles Play along with downloadable exercises Restring your instrument Whether this is your first instrument or you're adding to your repertoire, this little number has everything you need to get the most out of your mandolin!

Reviews and rates the best recordings of 8,900 blues artists in all styles.

Mandolin Picking Tunes: Early Music Gems by Dix Bruce is a collection of 34 wonderful songs from the 1200s to the 1600s especially arranged for intermediate and advanced mandolinists. The titles span the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque eras and the sounds of the individual songs reflect those years. The music includes standard notation, accompaniment chords, and tablature. Includes access to online audio recordings of each piece for listening and playing along.

This title introduces all the essential techniques needed for successful bluegrass mandolin playing. the rhythm section covers all the important chords and details the rhythm chop. the lead section covers turnarounds, position playing, Monroe-style, harmonized sixths and important soloing scales. Tips for developing solos are included. This volume is packed with useful reference material.

(Mandolin). A fantastic collection of 50 accessible, must-know favorites for the beginner who's learned enough to start playing popular songs! This book features melody, lyrics, and chord diagrams. Includes: Amazing Grace * Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain * Crazy * Cripple Creek * Folsom Prison Blues * Friend of the Devil * Going to California * Hallelujah * Ho Hey * I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow * I Walk the Line * I'll Fly Away * Losing My Religion * Maggie May * Mr. Bojangles * Redemption Song * Ripple * Rocky Top * Take Me Home, Country Roads * Tennessee Waltz * Wagon Wheel * Wildwood Flower * Yesterday * Your Cheatin' Heart * and many more.

(Mandolin). Noted mandolinist and teacher Rich Del Grosso has authored this excellent mandolin method that features great playable tunes in several styles (bluegrass, country, folk, blues) in standard music notation and tablature. The audio features play-along duets.